The Redmi Note 9 series wasn’t available in China until now, but the series arrives with a bang. The new Pro model costs the same as last year, CNY 1,600, but the difference in hardware is massive. While that’s a very affordable price, Xiaomi also unveiled the Redmi Note 9 with 5G for CNY 1,300 and one with 4G for a flat CNY 1,000. The Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G and Note 9 5G will be available in China from December 1.
The titular function of the Redmi Note 9
Pro 5G is enabled by the Snapdragon 750G chipset and its X52 modem (same as on
the S765G). Storage is UFS 2.2, which Xiaomi says is twice as fast as UFS 2.1
used in the previous generation. The new model features a 6.67” screen with
1080p+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It’s an adaptive display that offers
6 different refresh rates ranging from 30Hz to 120Hz. Touch sampling runs at
240Hz to boot. The front and back are guarded by Gorilla Glass 5.
The camera is a major highlight of the
phone. The main module is built around the 1/1.52” ISOCELL HM2, Samsung’s third
108MP sensor. While its smaller than the HM1 used in the S20 Ultra (that’s a
1/1.33” sensor), it supports the same 9-in-1 pixel binning tech while the first
Xiaomi models with a 108MP camera did to 4-in-1 binning. The effective pixel
size goes up to 2.1µm (up from 1.6µm on the HMX sensor). That combined with
Dual Native ISO and a new night mode, the phone should offer noticeably better
image quality in the dark.
The quad camera on the back also features
an 8MP ultrawide cam (120°), a 2MP macro shooter and a 2MP depth sensor.
There’s no telephoto cam, but the high resolution main sensor can do lossless
digital zoom up to 3x. The selfie camera has a 16MP sensor. The Pro model is
equipped with a 4,820 mAh battery. The 33W fast charger can fill the battery
from 0% to 100% in just 58 minutes.
There are no less than 11 antennas spread
out around the phone to ensure a good reception of 5G signals, Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth. 5G aside, connectivity includes NFC and an IR blaster. There’s also
a standard 3.5mm headphone jack along with stereo speakers (plus a Z-axis
linear motor).
The Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G starts at CNY1,600
for the base 6/128GB model. Two extra gigs of RAM cost CNY 200 and the
fully-loaded 8/256GB model is CNY 2,000. For context, that’s € 205 - € 255, though
it’s not clear when and if we’ll see the Pro 5G on the global market (and keep
in mind that will involve additional taxes).
Redmi Note 9 5G is powered by the MediaTek
Dimensity 800U chipset, which proved to be quite competitive with Qualcomm’s
700-series. Xiaomi’s ad materials claim that the 800U is twice as fast as the
Redmi Note 8 chipset. The storage is UFS 2.2, which is 100% faster than the
storage in the old phone too. The phone has a 6.53” LCD with 1080p+ resolution and
a standard refresh rate. It can bring its brightness down to just 1 nit for
night time viewing and is TUV-certified for low blue light emissions. Gorilla
Glass 5 is again the protection of choice for the display.
The main camera has a more modest 48MP sensor
(1/2”, 1.6µm pixels after 4-in-1 binning). It can still record 4K video, which
(like the Pro) is limited to 30 fps. The 8MP ultrawide (118°) camera is joined
by a 2MP macro camera. The selfie camera captures 13MP photos and 1080p videos.
The phone is powered by slightly larger 5,000mAh battery, though charging speed
has been parred back to 18W (the retail package includes a 22.5W charger).
Like the Pro, this Note 9 version has both
a 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers, a the linear motor too (for better
haptic feedback in games). The 360° antenna coverage is accomplished with 7
antennas around the device. The Redmi Note 9 5G starts at CNY 1,300 for the
base 6/128 GB model. There’s an 8/128 GB version for CNY 200 more and the top
model with 8/256 GB memory goes for CNY 1,700 (€ 166 - € 217).
The Redmi Note 9 4G switches to a
Snapdragon 662 chipset, but gets to keep the 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage that is
featured in the 5G models. RAM starts at 4GB, but this is the cheapest phone of
the three. And yet it has the biggest battery, 6,000mAh, while the weight stays
just under 200g. The phone comes bundled with an 18W fast charger. With
moderate use, the battery should last you a bit over two and a half days.
Xiaomi is estimating that the battery is good for 1,000 charge cycles or 4
years of use.
The 6.53” LCD is similar to that of the 5G
model. It has a 1080p+ resolution and a 120Hz touch sampling rate (refresh rate
is 60Hz). However, this panel is protected by the older Gorilla Glass 3. The
triple camera on the rear is similar as well, starting with the 48MP main
module (1.6µm pixels after binning). There’s also an 8MP ultrawide (120°)
camera and a 2MP depth sensor. Note that video recording is capped at 1080p/30
fps. Also, the 8MP selfie camera is inside a notch instead of a punch hole in
the display.
Like the other two, this model features a
3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers. There’s no NFC, however. The Redmi
Note 9 4G starts at CNY 1,000 for the 4/128GB model. You can have the 6/128GB
version for just CNY 100 more and the top 8/128GB one for CNY 1,300. Note that
the triple card slot has a spot for a microSD card.
